Undercover
by anmodo
Summary: The team's newest case is someone from Danny's past.
1. Default Chapter

Summary: D/OC relationship and all characters are present. Spoilers for Risen, Clare De Lune and other first season episodes. 

Disclaimer: I don't own the WAT characters or anything else WAT

Present Day 

Annie Riley walked quickly to the car across the street. It was rainy and cold. At first she was happy to enter the warm car, but then she came face to face with Agent Kevin Allen. He was what the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) called a "handler." Annie worked undercover for the DEA for the past five years. She was often paired with Kevin. It is his job to make sure the information she collects gets to the right people. He is supposed to look out for her, and help her keep her cover. 

"Escobar is setting up a deal. He is meeting with the syndicate day after tomorrow. We should get the info we need to make the bust at the meeting," Annie relayed to Kevin.

"Wear your wire. I'll set up surveillance. Call me two hours before the meet," Kevin responded.

"Got it," Annie started to exit the car.

Kevin reached over and grabbed her arm. "Wait a second. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." Annie pulled her arm away. "I'm just ready for this job to be over. It's been a year. I'm tired of playing house with Escobar."

"But you do it so well," Kevin said with sarcasm.

Annie rolled her eyes, "I gotta go."

Kevin reached out and stroked her cheek. Annie flinched as if she was burned. "Don't do that."

"I just want you to be safe. Be careful."

"I'll be fine. Just have the surveillance ready day after tomorrow."

Annie quickly got out of the car. As she walked away, she slowly faded away into the night.

**3 days later at the FBI office**

Danny felt like he would never catch up with all his paper work. They worked on a difficult case almost non-stop for the last four days. They finally found the girl. Unfortunately, she was dead before they ever started looking for her. He hated these cases the most. 

What he really needed was sleep – two or three days would do. He was looking forward to the weekend. As he stared hopefully at his computer screen, Samantha and Vivian filed in followed by Martin a few minutes later. They all commented on how impressed they were that he was in so early. He laughed it off. Truthfully, he just couldn't sleep after cases like this. It was easier just to stay busy, than stay at home.

Martin walked over to Danny desk. "Have you received the Medical Examiner's report?"

"Yeah. They faxed it a few minutes ago." Danny handed it to Martin. 

"God, she went through a lot before he killed her. I'll get the report ready for the DA's office."

"Okay."

Martin looked up from Danny's desk at he watched two people get off the elevator.

"Oh great. Just what I need today."

"What?" Danny asked.

"My father just got off the elevator. He's headed to Jack's office," Martin mentally noted that the other man with his father looked awfully familiar.

"Well, look on the bright side, he's probably not here to get us all fired. He tried that before," Danny joked. "Relax, I'm sure it's nothing." Danny added sincerely.

"We'll see, I'm sure," Martin replied nervously.

Usually, Danny didn't feel sorry for Martin. Danny knew there were worse things than having an over-involved father. But even he had to admit this could kind of suck. 

Martin returned to his desk. 

About ten minutes later, Jack entered the bullpen. Martin fully expected to be summoned, but instead Jack went to Danny's desk. "Danny, do you have a minute?"

"Sure." Danny followed Jack to his office. 

Samantha asked, "What's that about?"

Martin replied, "I'm not sure."

Danny entered Jack's office. 

"Danny, have you met Deputy Director Fitzgerald?"

"No, uh, good to meet you sir." Danny shook Fitzgerald's hand.

"Agent Taylor," replied Martin's father.

Jack then said, "I believe you know Agent Kevin Allen."

Danny then met the eyes of Kevin Allen. He worked with him six years ago. Danny was recruited right out of the FBI academy to go undercover for the DEA. About two years in to his uncover stint. Kevin became Danny's handler. 

"Kevin," Danny said icily. Jack immediately noticed the change in Danny's demeanor.

"Good to see you Danny. I wish it were under better circumstances," Kevin said.

"What are the circumstances? What's going on?" Danny asked.

"Let me explain," Victor interjected. "Three days ago Agent Allen met with one of his undercover agents. She was very close to bringing down Pedro Escobar, a Colombian drug lord. A meeting was supposed to occur 36 hours ago between Escobar and the Reyes syndicate. They were supposed to discuss the transaction of a large shipment of heroine coming here to Manhattan. Agent Riley was supposed to contact Agent Allen two hours before the meeting to verify surveillance."

"Agent Riley? Annie?" Danny looked at Kevin anxiously.

"That's right, Danny. It's Annie. I never heard from her. I haven't been able to find her anywhere. She's not answering her phone or pager. I checked the safe house. I found nothing," Kevin replied.

"How well do you know her, Danny," Jack asked.

"Uh, we worked together the last year I was undercover. We worked on a case."

"Have you kept in touch with her? When's the last time you spoke to her?" Jack asked.

"We don't really keep in touch, but I actually did see her recently."

"When?" Kevin asked quickly.

Danny looked at Kevin suspiciously, "About a month ago."

"A month ago? She said she said she was visiting her family in Chicago a month ago. She said she had to go to a funeral," Kevin said.

"She called me, and said she was supposed to go home, but couldn't face her family. She asked if she could stop by," Danny said pensively.

One month ago 

Danny was about to leave the office at a reasonable hour for a change. He looked forward to going home and getting some sleep. As he was walking to the elevator his cell phone rang. He groaned inwardly. If they caught a case, he was going to seriously consider early retirement. 

"Taylor."

"Danny?" said the small voice.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"It's me. Annie."

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just, uh, I just. . ."

"Where are you?"

"Here in Manhattan. I've been working a case here for the last several months."

"And I'm just hearing from you now?"

"You know how hard it is. It's just easier to stay under, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"I was supposed to go to Chicago. I got a few days off. But I can't go, Danny. I can't face my family and pretend I have a normal life. It's just getting too hard."

Danny couldn't imagine. Part of the reason why he was such an attractive undercover candidate at the academy was because he didn't really have any family. He didn't have to pretend with anyone. He could stay undercover all the time. 

"Can I….can I see you, Danny?"

"Sure. I was just on my way home. I live at the same place. You want to meet me there in twenty minutes."

"Yeah. Thanks, Danny."

"See you soon." Danny hung up his phone, and headed for the subway.

It started raining at some point while Danny was riding the subway home. After he walked up the stairs, he started to sprint to his apartment trying not to get too wet. He then walked up the stairs to the front door of his building. That's where he saw Annie standing in the doorway. She was soaked. He quickly unlocked the front door and ushered her into the foyer. 

"It's good to see you," Danny said.

"You too." Annie said as she embraced Danny. She exhaled as he took her in his arms. 

"Let's get you upstairs so you can dry off," Danny said as he pulled away a little too quickly.

They entered his tiny one-bedroom apartment. "God, Danny, this place is exactly the same. Don't you ever think of updating, maybe hang a picture or something."

"Not here enough, and I like it like this – thank you very much."

"Do you mind if I take a shower. I feel awful. We'll talk after, I promise."

"No, go ahead. I'll heat something up. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat. That would be great," Annie went into Danny's bedroom to get to the bathroom. 

Danny changed into some dry jeans and a t-shirt. He then proceeded to heat up a can of soup. 

After about a half an hour, Annie still hadn't come out of his room. He lightly knocked on the door and then walked in when he didn't hear anything. Annie must have laid down after she got out of the shower. She was asleep in his bed. She put on one of his FBI t-shirts. She looked so peaceful. He lightly brushed a piece of hair out of her face. He let Annie sleep in his bed. He took the couch. When he woke up Saturday morning, Annie was still asleep. In fact, she slept for most of the day. When she did wake up, she came out of his bedroom in only his t-shirt. He was on the couch reading the paper. 

"Well, I'd say good morning, but it's 2 o' clock."

"I'm sorry. I was exhausted. I don't think I've slept like that since college. Sorry I took your bed."

"That's okay." 

Annie looked more like herself today. He saw a little bit of the sparkle that used to exude from her bright blue eyes. Her dark blonde hair had these bold blonde streaks that he never noticed before. She looked thinner – like she hadn't been eating. But, she was still the beautiful girl he met six years ago. 

Annie walked over to the kitchen. "Well I was hungry last night, so I am starving now."

"I ordered in some breakfast this morning. It's in the oven," Danny opened the oven and fixed her a plate. He then sat at the kitchen table with Annie as she ate.

"So what case are you working on?" Danny asked.

"Do you really want to talk about this?"

"Well, I think you want to talk about it otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"I'm just tired of it. Tired of the lies and games and sacrificing everything. I feel like every day I stay undercover, I am losing more and more of myself." 

"I'm surprised you've stayed with it this long. Why don't you leave?"

"I am. We are wrapping up this latest case, and then I am gone. I just have to find a way to tell Kevin."

"You're still working with Allen?"

"Unfortunately, yes. He is still making my skin crawl."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Annie wished she could let Danny fix it. Let him save her like he did so many times when they worked together. But she knew she had to do it herself. She had to leave on her own.

"No, nothing you can do. I'm taking care of it. I'll be done in a couple of months. I'll be back on the road to a normal life. Just wait and see."

"I believe you."

Annie finished eating. Danny brought her plate to the sink and began to wash the dishes. Annie hopped up on the counter next to the sink. She looked admiringly at Danny. 

"What are you looking at?" Danny asked.

"Just you. You look great – very relaxed. Are you happy?"

"I'm alright."

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"Not really. No one special."

"I'm surprised."

Danny put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. He then stood directly in front of Annie.

"Surprised, huh."

"Yeah. I thought maybe you'd be married by now with 2.2 kids." Annie laughed.

"Yeah, right." Danny looked at her seriously.

Annie bit her lip as she looked into Danny's dark eyes…his beautiful dark eyes. She then started to trace her finger along his unshaven jaw line. Danny gently grabbed her hand. 

"I thought you didn't want to do this anymore," Danny said in a low voice as he kept hold of her hand.

"Do what," Annie said with a knowing smile.

"You know what. Two years ago you stood in that doorway, and said you were afraid of getting hurt."

"I was a different person then…much more idealistic." Annie took her hand and placed it on Danny's cheek. He then turned and kissed the inside of her hand. 

"I liked you idealistic."

Annie tilted her head up. Danny took his cue and leaned in to kiss her – lightly at first then with more urgency. She slid closer to straddle him so their upper bodies were pressed against each other. Annie's hands were traveling up and down the muscles of Danny's bare back under his t-shirt. Annie forgot how much she missed Danny. No one has ever touched her like Danny touches her. No one ever kisses her like he kisses her – demanding, passionate yet sweet and gentle all at the same time. Part of her thought they should stop. She shouldn't let herself get wrapped up in him until she was done with Escobar. She wasn't sure she could go back to Escobar and allow him to touch her if she lets Danny make love to her. But then Danny started to kiss a path down her neck, and all rational thought left her as his hands worked up her thighs. 

Danny was startled when Annie started to push him away. She was breathless as she looked into his eyes. She then slid off the counter while still pressed up against his body. But then she started to walk away from him. He watched her as she took of his t-shirt, dropped it on the floor and walked naked into his bedroom. Danny smiled. As much as his head was saying this was a bad idea, the rest of him was saying to follow her. 

Danny walked into his bedroom. She was on his bed under the sheet. He took off his shirt. She sat on the edge of the bed and unbuttoned his jeans as she kissed his stomach, and traced her tongue across the scar that she remembered so well. Danny finished undressing, and slid into the bed next to her. He started kissing her again and touching her in all the places he remembered that drove her crazy. Before they went much further, Annie had to ask him, "Danny we can't go much further unless you have a condom." When she said that, Danny remembered what she's been doing. He knows that female undercovers have to do many compromising things. It's not fair, but sometimes it's the only way they can infiltrate.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We don't have to," Danny asked.

"I want you, Danny. I just want to forget about everything for a little while," Annie replied with tears forming in her eyes.

Danny nodded and kissed away a single tear as it dropped down her cheek. He then reached into the top drawer of the nightstand and took out a condom. 

They stayed in his bed for the rest of the weekend. They talked about silly, unimportant things. They ate take out Chinese. And they made love over and over again. Annie didn't want to the weekend to end. She said as much when she and Danny walked out of his building Monday morning. He hailed a cab for her and opened the door. 

"I don't want to go back," Annie declared.

Danny leaned in and kissed her lightly, "Talk to Allen. Tell him you want out."

"I can't. I have to finish this. As futile as it all seems, if the deal does go down, and we can take them down – it will make a big difference."

"I knew it. You are still idealistic." Danny joked as he tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her again – this time more passionately. 

Annie wanted to tell Danny how much she loved him. She wanted to tell him at least a thousand times during the weekend. But she knew she couldn't until she was done with Escobar. And to be honest with herself, she wasn't sure if Danny felt the same way or if he was just being a good friend. When they were together years ago, she told him how she felt – that was completely in love with him. But he never said the words to her. She knew that he cared deeply for her, but he never told her that he loved her. 

She touched his clean-shaven face one last time, and he kissed her on her forehead. "I'll see you soon, baby. Be careful."

"Bye, Danny. Thanks for everything."

Danny watched Annie's cab drove away. 

Back to present 

Without going in too much detail, Danny explained to Jack, Fitzgerald and Kevin that Annie stayed with him a month ago. 

"Did she tell you about the Escobar case?" Kevin asked.

"No. She didn't want to talk about work. She did say she was ready to get out. She was burned out."

Jack asked, "Do you think it's possible she just took off?"

"I don't know, Jack. She's pretty committed to this. I don't think she'd just leave." Danny replied.

"Would she call you if she did take off?" Fitzgerald asked.

"I don't know, sir. It's hard to say. I'd like to think she would."

"Jack, with Agent Taylor's personal knowledge of Agent Riley, I think your team should investigate her disappearance. Do you agree?"

"Of course, we'll get started right away."

Kevin then interjected, "I like to participate in the investigation. With all due respect to Danny, I've spent the most time with Annie than anyone in the last couple of years."

Danny's eyes darted up to meet Jack's. Without a saying a word, Jack read Danny's expression. Kevin should not be a part of the investigation, but rather he should be investigated.

"Actually, if Deputy Director Fitzgerald agrees, I think it would be wise for you to take a backseat in this case. We will interview you, of course, but maybe you are too close to be involved in the investigation."

"Too involved," Kevin answered, " If I'm too involved, then so is Danny."

Fitzgerald then intervened, "I doubt one weekend in six years is too involved. I trust that Jack's team will handle this case with the utmost professionalism. We will take Jack's cue on this. Kevin, you'll cooperate with Jack's team in any way he sees fit. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir. I just want to find her."

"We all do. She's a good agent, and if the press gets a hold of this it would look very bad for the DEA. Agent Riley is from a well-respected family in Chicago." Fitzgerald responded.

"Keep me posted, Jack. Thank you for your cooperation, Agent Taylor," Fitzgerald said before he walked out the door. 

Then Kevin said, "Let me know if I can be of any assistance. Danny, I know we didn't leave things on the best terms, but we both have the same goal now."

Danny didn't respond to Kevin. He just turned to Jack and said, "I'll inform the others that we have a new case."

Jack then said the Kevin, "Why don't you go back to your office. I'll send one of my agents over to interview you very soon."

Kevin replied, "Fine. Thanks." And then left Jack's office.

_To be continued._


	2. Chapter 2

Danny returned to the work area.  
  
"Hey guys, we have a new case."  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"Her name is Annie Riley. She is a DEA Agent. She's been working undercover for the last year investigating a Colombian drug lord name Pedro Escobar."  
  
Jack walked in as Danny was relaying the information. He went to the white board and put up a picture of Annie Riley, blonde, blue eyes, 27 years old.  
  
Jack gave more details, "Agent Riley's cover name is Laura Carmichael. She infiltrated Escobar's network by working for him as a secretary. She got close to him, and eventually moved in to his house with him."  
  
"Geeze, she must be really committed," Samantha stated. "I've heard of female agents going that far, but I just can't imagine."  
  
Jack continued, "The way I see we need to investigate this on two fronts. The first is her undercover identity. The second is her real identity. Danny, I want you to focus on her undercover life. You probably have the best insight into that. You and I will go visit Escobar. Vivian – go to her apartment and look around. See what you can find. Then contact her family in Chicago. Be very careful what you say. We need to protect her cover. We just want to find out if she has talked to them. Martin and Samantha – I want you to question Agent Kevin Allen, he was her handler."  
  
"I knew I recognized him." Martin interjected.  
  
"You know him?" Danny asked skeptically.  
  
"Yes, my father was somewhat of a mentor to him. I've met him on a few occasions. There shouldn't be any conflict."  
  
"That's fine. Danny actually knows our victim. He worked with her for a year while he was undercover with the DEA. This is why it's important that you stay on her cover Danny," Jack said.  
  
"I got it," Danny replied.  
  
"Martin and Samantha – besides Escobar, Allen is one of the last people to have seen her alive. He has to be treated as a suspect here. Danny, do you anything to add about him since you worked with him?"  
  
"Uh...I never really trusted him. He wasn't very reliable."  
  
Danny noticed that Martin looked up about to respond, but Danny continued, "But that was a long time ago. And we were both fairly new to the whole process. I do know that Annie felt uncomfortable around him. She told me that recently."  
  
Jack then asked, "Uncomfortable, how?"  
  
"It's a strange relationship you develop with a handler. They have to know just about everything you are thinking. It can be uncomfortable. Sometimes they make you do things you don't want to do. But you have to do it because the handler is your lifeline. She never specifically said anything. I just get the feeling that he gave her a hard time."  
  
Samantha asked, "You saw her recently?"  
  
Danny replied, "A month ago. She was here in the city. Uh...we didn't really talk about what she was working on."  
  
"Do you see her often?" Vivian asked.  
  
Danny looked down not sure how much he should tell them, "No. Prior to a month ago, I hadn't seen her for almost two years. It was just a coincidence that she called me a month ago."  
  
"Were you close?" Vivian continued.  
  
Jack intervened, "Listen, let's hold off on the questions for Danny. After we question Escobar, if we need to get more into her history, we will deal with that then."  
  
Vivian looked up skeptically. She thought they should get as much information up front as possible, but she didn't say anything. She sensed that this was uncomfortable for Danny.  
  
Jack concluded their meeting, "Okay, let's get started. Keep me posted." Jack and Danny left the area together to go question Escobar.  
  
Vivian took a copy of Annie Riley's file, and left for her apartment.  
  
"So Danny was with the DEA?" asked Martin.  
  
"Actually, he was still technically FBI, but he fit a certain profile, so the DEA recruited him. He had just finished with training at Quantico. I think he was 23 or 24," Sam replied.  
  
"Profile?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, young, Latino, speaks fluent Spanish. He could fit right in with the cartels they investigated in Colombia, and other South American countries."  
  
"Right. That must have been rough. No wonder he thought so little of me in the beginning. Chasing down stolen computer chips doesn't quite compare with giving up your identity for three years."  
  
Samantha smiled, "He hardly ever talks about it. I think he really hated it."  
  
"Let's go check out Kevin Allen."  
  
Annie Riley's loft  
  
Vivian walked into the spacious loft. It was simply decorated, and very comfortable. Vivian went to the bedroom area. She noticed the drawers and closets were full. There were suitcases in the back of the closet. If Annie did take off, she didn't pack anything.  
  
She started to go through her desk, but didn't find anything useful. Then she looked through the nightstand. She found a locked box in the bottom drawer of the nightstand. She pried open the box and found 4 journals that were filled with writing. Vivian knew there must be a current journal somewhere. On a whim, she checked under the mattress. Sure enough she found a half-filled journal. Hopefully, this would give her some insight into what happened. She then found Annie's address book with her parent's telephone number.  
  
Vivian had a short conversation with Annie's mother. Her mother said that she hadn't heard from her in a month. But she didn't expect to hear from her. Annie usually only called home at birthdays and holidays. So she really wasn't due to call for another month. Her mother didn't seem concerned so Vivian didn't alarm her. Annie's mother had no idea what her daughter did for a living. It would be more dangerous for Annie's family if she blew her cover.  
  
After the conversation, Vivian decided to read from the journals. As she opened the most current journal, a photo fell out that Annie must have used as a placeholder. Vivian looked at the picture with surprise. It was a picture of Annie and Danny. Danny looked younger. It was one of those silly pictures where Danny was holding the camera with an outstretched arm taking a picture of both of them. Danny was looking at the camera, and Annie was looking at him with an adoring smile. Vivian could tell just by the picture that they more than just worked together.  
  
TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

Agent Kevin Allen's office 

Martin and Samantha walked in to Agent Allen's small office in Manhattan's DEA field office. 

"Kevin Allen? I don't know if you remember me. . ." began Martin. 

"Martin Fitzgerald. Of course, I remember you. Your father said you were with Missing Persons. Sorry we have to meet again under these unfortunate circumstances."

"This is my partner, Special Agent Samantha Spade. We need to ask you some questions about Agent Riley." Martin glanced in Samantha's direction.

"Of course. I want to help in any way I can. Agent Riley has done some great work for us and made many sacrifices. I just want to find her.  
  


Samantha asked, "Can you tell us about the last time you saw her?"

"Three days ago, we met in my car at the corner of 126th and Grand. We met there each week at that time unless we contacted each other before. She told me when the meet was and she was going to call me with the location. We spoke for all of five minutes."

Samantha continued, "How did she seem to you?"

"The same…anxious to get the deal done, but still focused. Annie is a real professional."

"Are you two close? You've been working together for a while," asked Martin.

"Um…," Kevin hesitated, "Yes, we are fairly close, but professional. I've watched her grow up with this job. When she first started she was very green – Danny can attest to that. But, she got it together and now she is one of the best. I care about what happens to her."

Samantha eyed Kevin suspiciously. She could tell he was holding back.

"Did Agent Riley mention to you that she wanted out of the DEA?" asked Martin.

"No. She didn't tell me that, but this is a high-stress job. Undercover agents don't last long – just ask Danny. She stayed with it longer than I ever expected. She is an amazing young woman."

When Agent Allen said that, Samantha immediately asked, "Are you in love with her?"

Martin looked at Samantha with a mildly shocked expression.

Agent Allen replied, "I have a wife and two children, Agent Spade."

"That's not an answer Agent Allen. You two have been working closely for the last few years. You are in a position where a beautiful young woman is completely dependent on you. You are her link to the real world. I can imagine it would be a powerful position. You admit to having feelings for her." Samantha wasn't backing down.

"I care about her as I would about any agent. To answer your question, I'm not in love with her. I just want to find her."

Samantha's phone rang. "Excuse me," Samantha said pointedly and walked out of the office.

"She must have gotten that line of questioning from Taylor," Agent Allen said to Martin with disgust.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"He and I had issues when we worked together. He's not the easiest to get along with, and he tends to jump to conclusions. I can imagine what is going through his head now that Annie is missing. He probably can't wait to nail my ass."

"We haven't had any feedback from Danny about you regarding the case," Martin lied. 

"Your father said you've been with Missing Persons for a little over a year, right? Well, you have to know him by now. You can't trust him. He is only out for himself."

Martin was surprised by Kevin's outburst. "I'm not here to talk about Danny. Do you think Escobar found out about Agent Riley's cover?"

"It's possible. She may have slipped up."

"Or someone from the DEA tipped Escobar?"

"That's doubtful. There are maybe two people besides me who know about Annie's cover."

"I'll need to know who else knows."

"Fine."

Samantha walked back into the room.

Martin looked to Samantha and then to Kevin, "I think we are done here for now. We'll be in touch."

Martin and Samantha left the office.

"That was Jack on the phone. They didn't get very far with Escobar. He lawyered up. We'll need to find evidence to get a search warrant."

"That's typical. Maybe Viv found something. You were a little hard of Agent Allen." Martin didn't tell Samantha about Agent Allen's outburst regarding Danny.

"He's hiding something, and I know he has more than _professional_ feelings towards her. Did he give us anything else?"

"Not really. He doesn't think that Escobar could have been tipped, but he will give us the names of who knew about Annie's cover."

"Jack wants us to meet back at the office. Let's go."

FBI office 

Danny is sitting at his desk reviewing deep background about Pedro Escobar. Annie was dealing with a very dangerous guy. If Escobar did find out that she was undercover, chances are he has already lost her.

Vivian approached Danny, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

"Let's go to one of the conference rooms." 

Danny followed Vivian with hesitation.

On the table in the conference room were five journals. Vivian and Danny sat down.

"What's this?" Danny asked.

"I found these in Agent Riley's apartment. They are journals she has kept for the last several years."

Danny looked at Vivian, and then looked down.

"Danny I've only read a few pages from the most current journal. While she does write about her work, Escobar and Allen, she also writes about you. And I found this in the most current journal." Vivian showed him the picture of the two of them.

Danny looked at the picture. It took him back to the time when they first met.

Five years ago 

Danny was working in Miami. He was posing as a drug dealer, and trying to infiltrate the Ferrar cartel. While he was able to get in to the periphery of the organization, he was having trouble gaining trust. Kevin Allen decided to send in a new agent to help him. Annie was brand new. Danny was livid when Allen told him. He didn't have time to hold someone's hand. But when he saw Annie, he knew why Allen picked her. She was beautiful and charming. Allen's theory was that Danny might have better luck if he was part of a couple. 

He and Annie didn't get along at first. She asked way too many questions. But, ultimately, she started doing her job. Between the two of them, they charmed their way into all the right places, and talked to all the right people. 

Annie couldn't help but be attracted to Danny. But she didn't want to show it. So she tried to remain as professional as possible. It became more difficult when they were in public settings. He would do things to show they were a couple. He would lead her in to a room with his hand at the small of her back. When he spoke to her, he would lean in to her and look in her eyes. And Danny seemed to be amused by her reaction to his flirting. And that made Annie mad because she was trying so hard to prove herself.

One night they found themselves in the right place at the right time. They were able to get into the private home of Ferrar the leader of the cartel. A large party was going on in the backyard. Danny and Annie were able to slip away from the party, and get into Ferrar's private office. While in the office, they were able to collect very sensitive contact information about who made up the cartel. As they were exiting the office they heard someone at the door. Danny grabbed Annie's hand and pulled her in to a closet. Annie was breathing hard from the adrenaline. Danny gently put his hand over her mouth. He was standing in front of her as her back was to the door. They were standing just inches from each other, but they could barely see each other in the darkness. They tried to listen to the voices in the office, but the voices were too muffled. When Annie recovered from the rush, Danny slowly removed his hand. He was looking down into her eyes. Without thinking, Danny bent down and brushed his lips over hers. Annie responded by pulling him back down. He started to kiss her deeply. She met his tongue with hers. He pressed her against the door with his body as his kisses trailed down her neck. And then, he came back to her face, and looked in her eyes. At the moment, Danny noticed that the voices were gone. He put a finger to her lips, and slowly opened the door. They quickly left the office and went down to the party. After saying their goodbyes, they left to meet Kevin.

The meeting with Kevin was filled with tension. It was as if Kevin could feel the sexual tension between the two agents, and he didn't like it. He took his frustration out on Danny by chastising him to taking a risk going into the office. Kevin downplayed the importance of the contact information. 

The two agents couldn't leave Allen quick enough. They drove in silence back to the two-bedroom apartment they were sharing. Within minutes of returning, they were giving in to their mutual attraction that didn't even know existed. The started kissing again and removing each others' clothes. From that night on, Annie slept in Danny's bed. 

Back to Present – FBI office 

"We were pretty close," Danny finally said. 

"Pretty close. . . what does that mean?"

"Vivian, what difference does it make? How will it help to find her?"

"Danny, you know better than that. We need to know everything about her in order to find her. I have to read all these journals. Do you understand that?"

Danny finally understood where Vivian was going. She felt like she was invading his privacy. "Viv, I know what you have to do. It's OK. I'd rather you read the journals than anyone else. Just know that I do care about her. I always have. We had this intense relationship, and then it ended when I left the DEA. I'm sure you'll read all about it," Danny smiled sadly and left the room.

Vivian opened the journals and began reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Vivian spent a couple of hours reviewing Annie's journals. She felt like she shouldn't read any of it, but she knew she had to do it. 

_(Various entries from the journals)_

_Entry 1 _

_I told him that I loved him this morning. It was early, and we just made love. It wasn't even like we consciously did it. Our bodies just seemed to find each other in the darkness. When I am in his arms I feel so safe. That must be why I said it. I felt like I could tell him anything in that moment and it would be OK. But he didn't respond. I could tell by the way he was breathing that he was still awake. I know that we are working, and maybe he just feels like this isn't the time for falling in love. But I can't help it. I've never felt like this before._

_Entry 2 _

_Kevin knows about us. I can tell by the way he looks at me. And he is giving Danny such a hard time. Danny is losing his temper with Kevin. Kevin seems jealous, but I'm not sure why. Kevin asked me to get close to Ferrar, and I wonder if it is because he knows it will bother Danny. Danny told Kevin that me getting involved with Ferrar was bad idea. It was too soon for me. But Kevin didn't back down. _

_Entry 3_

_I had sex with Ferrar last night. I was trying to find out when the next deal was going to go down and he started to kiss me. I was afraid to say no. I couldn't push him away with out him knowing something was wrong. So I let him…and I tried not to let him see me cry. I also got the information we needed from him. When I went home, Danny asked me how it went. I told him about the information, and then went to take a shower. I don't know how long I was in the shower before Danny came in. I was sitting on the floor of the tub. He turned off the cold water, wrapped me in a towel and carried me to bed. He knows. He lay next to me, and stroked my hair while I cried. _

_Entry 4_

_Danny and I haven't made love since Ferrar, but I still sleep in his bed. We don't talk about what I am doing. Kevin doesn't miss an opportunity to rub it in. Danny has come close to hitting him many times. Kevin is the only thing we fight about. I tell Danny he just needs to calm down. Kevin could ruin his career. Danny is starting not to care. He wants out, but I don't know what I'll do if he leaves me. _

_Entry 5_

_The Ferrar case is over. We turned all the evidence over to the US Attorney. Ferrar was indicted. Danny is transferring. He told me I should leave as well, but he didn't ask me to go with him to NY. He suggested going home to Chicago. Why doesn't he love me? When he looks into my eyes, I swear he does love me. I know there are things in his past he never talks about. Maybe there is someone else. _

_Entry 6_

_I've decided to stay with the DEA. If I can't be with Danny it doesn't really matter where I am. I've been assigned to a new case. Danny and I spent one last night together before he left. He thought I was asleep as he sat beside me and kissed me on my forehead. Then he walked out of my life. I cried that whole day, but then I had a new assignment to keep me busy. Kevin seemed elated that Danny was gone._

_Entry 7_

_Kevin made a pass at me. We were meeting in his car and he tried to kiss me. He told me how much he cared about me, and how Danny wasn't good enough for me. He told me that Danny never cared about me. He just wanted a sex partner. I know in my heart that it's not true, but with the way Danny left – my head is telling me maybe Kevin is right. I told Kevin to stay away from me or I would file a complaint. He hasn't touched me since._

After reading most of the entries, Vivian went to Jack's office to tell him her conclusions.

"Jack, do you have a minute?"

"Yes. Come in."

"I just read through the journals. I think Agent Riley is in a lot of trouble. I don't think there is any way she took off."

"Why do you say that?"

"What did Danny tell you about his relationship with her?"

"He said they worked together, and they were friends."

"Jack, she's in love with him. If she left on her own, he would be her first call."

"I guess I should have pressed Danny a little harder. I'll talk to him."

"There's something else. Agent Allen was jealous of their relationship. I think, at this point, he is our prime suspect."

After finishing his talk with Vivian, Jack found Danny at his desk.

"Hey Jack, I was just about to head out to question a couple of informants Annie worked with. They may be able to give me something," Danny said as he was putting on his jacket.

"Danny, I just talked to Vivian."

Danny stopped dead in his tracks. "I should have told you. I'm sorry. I just thought I could keep it private."

"Yeah, well, that wasn't very smart. You can't go out in the field and work on this case. . ."

Danny interrupted, "Jack, don't do this. I can help find her. I have to."

"You'll do what you can from the office. That's it. Brief Viv on the informant leads, she'll check it out." Jack walked away.

Dejected, Danny sat down and raked his hands through his hair. He pulled out the picture of he and Annie that Vivian gave to him. He lightly touched her face. He knew deep down that he was responsible for whatever has happened to her – and now he couldn't even help find her.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack's office 

Martin and Vivian returned to the office to tell Jack what they learned from Agent Riley's informants inside the Escobar organization.

"Jack, I think we are back to Escobar as our prime suspect," Vivian started.

"Why?"

Martin explained, "Agent Riley's main informant is James Sanchez. He's worked for Escobar for years. Last year, Sanchez's sister OD'd after Sanchez screwed up a major deal. He knows that Escobar is behind it. Agent Riley found this out and enlisted Sanchez's help to bring Escobar down."

Vivian continued, " We just spend an hour talking to Sanchez. He says that Escobar found out about Riley. Apparently, he thought that Riley was cheating on him so he went through her things. He must have found an ID or her gun or something. Sanchez said he didn't have time to warn Agent Riley before Escobar confronted her. He hasn't seen Riley since. He said that he is willing to make a statement so we can get a warrant to search Escobar's home."

"Why didn't he come to us earlier?"

"He was scared. He thinks talking is his death sentence. At this point, he says he doesn't care anymore. He wants to bring Escobar down no matter what," Martin replied. 

"Well, take his statement, and let's get the warrant. Then make sure he goes to protective custody. Nobody gets near him," Jack stated. "Are we sure Escobar wasn't tipped by Allen?"

Martin answered, "Sanchez is close to Escobar. Escobar didn't receive any outside calls. Sanchez says that Escobar told him he found something of Annie's. It doesn't sound like he was tipped."

FBI Conference room 

Danny was at a loss for what to do. So, he went to the conference room with Annie's journals. He really didn't want to read them. He just sat there looking at them.

"I thought Vivian already reviewed those? You don't have to do this," Samantha said as she entered the room. 

"She did read them. I'm not sure what I'm doing here."

"I read Viv's report. Weren't you the one who told me not to get involved with co-workers? I think you said, 'It can only end badly.'"

Danny smiled slightly, remembering his mini-lecture to Samantha when she confessed her affair with Jack. "Yeah, well I never said I didn't learn that lesson the hard way," Danny said in almost a whisper.

"So you left her six years ago, and then she calls you a month ago. That was a long time."

"Actually, I saw her two years ago. Remember when the FBI gave those anti-terrorism workshops two years ago? Everyone in federal law enforcement had to attend."

"Yes. We affectionately call them the most boring three days of our lives."

"Right," Danny smiled. "Well, she came to New York to attend the workshop."

Two years ago 

Danny was about to fall asleep in his seat. Free coffee and breakfast was not payment enough for sitting through some guy who has never been in the field telling him to be vigilant about looking for terrorists. Now they were showing a video of what to look for. This was a colossal waste of his time. After the video, they dismissed them for a 30-minute break. Danny got up to stretch his legs and find more coffee. 

As Danny stood in the coffee line, he heard a voice behind him, "Danny?"

Danny turned around and saw Annie. She looked exactly the same.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Danny said as he put his arms around her.

As Danny held her, Annie explained, "We all have to attend, right? It was a nice excuse to get away for a few days."

Danny released her, but kept hold of her arms and looked into her eyes. "You look beautiful," Danny said as he tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear.

Annie couldn't hold his gaze. She looked down sure she was blushing. She hated that Danny could always do that to her. He could always make her feel like she was fourteen year old with a mad crush.

Annie finally looked up, "You look good too. Are you still with Missing Persons?"

"Yeah. Impressed with my level of commitment?"

"I'll say. What is it four years…that must be record for you," Annie said laughing.

"Ha Ha. What have you been working on?"

Annie hesitated. Not sure how much she should tell him. "Same stuff, you know. I've been working out in L.A. I just wrapped up a case."

"Why don't you transfer? Go to D.C. There has got a be a desk job at the DEA with your name on it by now."

"Did I say I wasn't happy with my job?" Annie said defensively.

"No, I just know how it is. At some point, you have to start living a real life."

"Is that what you're living…'a real life'?" Annie's words stung Danny.

"I think it's time to go back. It was good to see you."

Danny was about to walk away, "Danny, wait. I'm such a bitch. Don't listen to me. Let's get together after, O.K.?" Annie couldn't let Danny go like that. She had to see him again.

"OK. I'll meet you out front right after."

After the workshop wrapped up, they met outside. "You want to get some dinner? I thought this day would never end," Danny asked.

"Sure. Sounds good. It's comforting to know you are still as impatient as ever."

"Some things never change," Danny said with a sly smile.

They went to a little café around the corner. Danny and Annie sat and talked for hours. It was like time stood still and they were back to the days before Annie got involved with Ferrar. Annie caught Danny up on her family. She missed them terribly, but part of her liked proving to her father that she was doing something honorable. Annie's father was the police commissioner in Chicago. He always wanted a son, but instead had four daughters. Annie was the youngest. She was always trying to prove she could be just as good as a son. The sad part was that Annie could tell her father very little about her job. 

Danny told Annie about work. She was so glad he found something that fulfilled him. He didn't say very much about personal stuff. But, then again, he never did. Anytime Annie got him to talk a little, he would eventually shut down. She knew his parents died, and that he grew up mostly on his own. She knew Danny was in AA, but he never talked about why or how he stopped drinking. But she knew he must have gone through so much. She could tell by the pain that would show in his eyes from time to time, and the scars ever-present on his body. 

As they were laughing at some silly joke he told, the waitress brought their check and looked unnerved. Apparently, the café closed an hour ago and they didn't even notice. Danny paid the check and said something charming to the waitress with one of his trademark smiles. She blushed, smiled and told them they could stay a few minutes longer.

"You haven't lost your touch, Danny," Annie said smiling.

"Well, I try."

"Yes, you do. I've missed this. I've missed you. I don't laugh like this anymore, you know."

"That's a shame. Nothing is a beautiful as when you smile."

"Oh, God…you are intolerable." Annie put her hand on his, and then he took a hold of it. 

While looking at the intertwined hands, Danny said in a low voice, "Let's get out of here."

Annie followed Danny out without a word. 

Without even asking if she wanted to go back to her hotel, Danny lead her the five blocks to his apartment. Annie's breathing started to pick up as they walked up the stairs, and entered his apartment. As soon as Danny closed the door, he started to kiss her. Backing her up against the door. This is the way it always was with Danny. He just took control, and she let him because she knew that ultimately she would feel so much pleasure and even love from every one of Danny's kisses and touches. And this time wasn't any different. She could feel how much he wanted her from the heat of his body. 

Danny was unbuttoning her blouse, and about to unhook her bra when Annie realized she couldn't do this again. She put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away, "I'm sorry. I can't do this," Annie said breathlessly.

Danny immediately stopped and whispered in her ear, "What's the matter, baby?"

They were still standing way to close for Annie to think straight so she opened the door and started to step back. 

"Wait, tell me what's wrong?" Danny took her hand.

"I can't do this again, Danny. I can't let you kiss me and touch me, and then just walk away tomorrow. I love you. I haven't stopped loving you. When you kiss me, when you look into my eyes, when we make love…I can't help but think that it means something more. But then it is just so easy for you to walk away. Danny, I die a little every time that happens. I can't let it happen again. It hurts too much." Tears were streaming down her face now.

"Baby," Danny touched her face and wiped a tear away. "I do care about you. I love…I love what we have together."

Annie looked down dejected, "I wish that were enough for me, but it's not. I want to know everything about you. I want a future with you. I want to wake up every morning with you. And when I am with you…this is the stuff I think about."

Danny let her hand go and Annie look up at him, "I'm sorry, baby. I'm just not ready for all of that. I don't want to hurt you."

Annie wiped the tears from her eyes. "That's all I needed to hear." She rose up, and kissed Danny on his cheek letting her hand linger there. "Take care of yourself."

Danny watched her walk down the stairs, and then watched out his window as she got into a cab. Tears started to sting his eyes as he watched her leave his life.

Back to present 

Danny told Samantha a little about he and Annie's meeting two years ago. 

"So you just let her leave?" Samantha asked.

"What else could I do?"

"You could have told her how you really felt."

"I did tell her. That's why she left."

"I don't believe you. I think you loved her, and maybe you love her still."

"Don't…you don't know anything about this, Samantha. Stay out of it."

Danny rose, and was about to walk out the door.

Samantha was startled by Danny's low and angry tone. She was almost scared to make her next statement: "Danny, I think I understand this very well. Why don't you think you deserve her love?"

Danny stopped, but he didn't face Samantha. 

Danny was staring at the floor, "Because I don't deserve it. I don't deserve her."

"Danny. . . "

"Samantha," Danny interrupted, "I couldn't risk losing her. If I would have let her in, if I would have let her love me….and then she would realize she could do so much better. And she would leave, and I'd be alone. I couldn't face that."

"Those are a lot of "ifs" Danny."

"As much time as she and I spent together, there was so much I didn't tell her about me. I knew if she found this stuff out, her opinion of me would eventually change. And then she would leave, and I…and I would fall a part without her. I'd probably start drinking again, and then I would lose everything. It's like this life that I have built for myself is a house of cards."

Danny turned around to face Samantha. She had tears in her eyes. "Don't cry for me Samantha. This is all my fault. Annie is probably dead because I pushed her away. Because I am so weak."

Samantha went to Danny and put her arms around him. He slowly relented and relaxed in her arms. "We are going to find her Danny. You'll get a second chance. We just have to stay positive."

Danny wanted to believe Samantha, but he knew in his heart he wouldn't have a second chance.


	6. Chapter 6

The Next Day 

Martin walked into the office and was surprised to find Danny at the office so early in the morning. 

"Did you ever go home?" Martin asked as he walked by Danny's desk. 

"Yes, for a little while, then I came back."

"Did Jack call you last night?"

"No. Why? Did you find something at Escobar's?"

Martin sensed the rising panic in Danny's voice. He, Jack and Vivian spent hours with the crime scene team at Escobar's the night before. Martin was hoping that Jack told Danny what they found. Jack must have hoped that Danny was home getting some rest.

Martin gently tried to explain what they found to Danny, "Escobar was fairly uncooperative, as you can imagine. We found some personal items that we assume belong to Agent Riley like clothes and toiletries. But, not enough to show that she was living there. It looks like he may have gotten rid of most of her things…"

Danny was getting impatient. "What did the crime scene team find?"

Martin looked down. He really didn't want to be the one to tell Danny this.

"Just tell me what they found," Danny demanded.

"We found traces of blood in the bathroom, and some blood stains on the carpet under the bed. When the team checked the room with a black light, they found a lot more blood that was washed away – a rather large amount on the mattress of the bed. It looks like Escobar was trying to hide something."

Danny sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. All he could see was her face the last time he saw her. She had such hope in her eyes.

"They are fast tracking the blood comparison. We should know something soon. I'm sorry, Danny."

Danny tried to act unaffected. "Did Escobar give you anything else? Did he answer any questions?"

"Not really. We are holding him for twenty-four hours. If we don't find more evidence, we'll have to let him go, but he's still facing drug charges because of Sanchez's cooperation."

"What about his phone records? Any activity from Allen?"

"None. I really don't think he was involved in her disappearance. I think he just really cared about her."

Danny smirked, "Yeah, right. He cared about her. If he cared about her, he would have pulled her out a lot sooner. If he cared about her, he would have known she was burned out. The truth is he wanted to keep her under his thumb. He liked controlling her. I know he is a friend of your family, but you don't know him."

Martin responded, "Danny, that's not fair. You weren't there. You don't know what was going on. You can't rush to judgment on this like you always do."

Danny stood up then. He was tired and angry, and Martin was not helping by defending Allen. "Like I always do? I'm not rushing to judgment, Martin. I worked with the guy. His job is to look out for the best interests of the undercover agents. But, Allen was only out for his best interests. Do you know how many times he wanted me to take drugs so I could get more 'credibility'? When I didn't do it, he would put it in his report that I was uncooperative. Do you even know what he asked Annie to do? The sacrifices he wanted her to make. I swear he just did it so he could hear all the sordid details later. He's scum, Martin. Maybe he didn't have anything to do with her disappearance. But he should have protected her." Danny's voice was raised, almost yelling.

Samantha walked in just as Danny was finishing. She looked at the two agents curiously, but then her eyes went to Danny. 

"What's is it?" Danny asked in a low voice.

"They just faxed the blood analysis to Jack's office. It's a match."

A few minutes later, they all assembled at the conference table. Danny was looking down trying not to make eye contact with his teammates. He didn't want to see the pity looming in their eyes. 

Jack started, "With the amount of blood the crime scene unit found, it looks like Agent Riley is dead. Samantha, you and I are going to take another run at Escobar. Vivian, talk to the US Attorney's office. Since we've given them Sanchez to testify on the drug charges, maybe they will be willing to make a deal if Escobar confesses. Martin, would you mind filling in Agent Allen on what's happened?"

"No. I'll go see him," Martin said as he left the table followed by Vivian and Samantha.

Jack looked over at Danny. He had never seen Danny like this. He had never seen Danny look so broken. "Danny, go home," Jack commanded.

Danny finally looked at Jack, "I can't, Jack. That's not a good idea."

"Okay. Then, why don't you go to a meeting. This isn't the time to fall a part." 

Danny knew that Jack just want to help, but he just wanted to be left alone. "I won't fall a part, Jack. I'm fine. But, thanks." Then Danny got up and walked away.

Agent Kevin Allen's Hotel Room 

Agent Allen wasn't at the DEA field office. The secretary at the field office told Martin Agent Allen was staying at the hotel around the corner. Martin decided to see if he was there since it was still rather early.

Martin knocked on Allen's door. After a few seconds, Allen opened the door.

"Martin. This is a surprise. I was just about to leave for the office."

"I apologize for the early hour. We found out some information we thought you may want to know."

"What is it?"

"We searched Escobar's home last night. We found blood – a lot of blood in the bedroom. Blood analysis matches it with Agent Riley's blood type. I'm sorry, Kevin." Martin didn't like delivering the same bad news twice in one morning.

Kevin sat down on the couch. "Oh my God. This is awful."

"We're still questioning Escobar, but he's not talking. It will be difficult to find her…"

"Her body," Kevin finished.

"Right."

"I suppose Danny is seething. He probably thinks this is all my fault."

"Danny is upset. I think he cared about Agent Riley a great deal."

"He cared about her. Right. He used her, and she would never see him for what he actually was. I tried to make her see, but she was blind when it came to him."

Martin was startled by Kevin's reaction. Martin wasn't sure how to respond. Just when he started to say something in Danny's defense, Kevin's cell phone rang.

"Excuse me for second," Kevin said as he walked in to the bedroom. 

Martin walked over to sit down, and knocked Kevin's briefcase off the coffee table. When he picked up the briefcase, several pictures fell out. Martin picked up the pictures, and was surprised to recognize the people in the pictures. They were of Danny and Agent Riley. The pictures showed them standing beside a cab. They were standing very close to each other. It looked like they were saying goodbye. In some of the pictures, they were kissing. Martin got an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. He took several of the pictures, then put the rest back in the brief case.

When Kevin came back into the room, Martin rose from the chair. "I have to get going. We still have some loose ends to tie up."

"Is there anything I can do? Should I call her family?" asked Kevin.

Martin quickly responded, "No. I'm sure Jack is handling that. We, uh, may need your help later today to help us finish our report. Can I call you at your office?"

"Of course. I'll be there all day." Kevin put his hand out to shake Martin's hand.

Martin hesitantly shook his hand, then left. Once out in the hall, Martin exhaled. Kevin has been lying to them the whole time. Danny was right. 


	7. Chapter 7

FBI Conference Room 

_(Danny's thoughts)_

Danny felt like he wanted to run away. He hated that they all knew what went on between he and Annie. He hated that he had to reveal so much of himself to them. Since he started with the FBI, he always tried to keep his personal life separate from work. He hated that they all saw the weakness in him. But, he couldn't really hide it. His whole relationship with Annie was spelled out in the journals. 

Danny was exhausted, but he couldn't close his eyes. All he could see was her face, her beautiful blue eyes, her smile and tears. He told himself he didn't love her so many times he actually believed it. When he first met her, he just played with her and flirted with her. He knew he got under her skin. But he did that with everybody. Then he started to watch her – the way she moved, the way she laughed, the way she blushed when he looked in her eyes. 

He became so attracted to her. At first, it was just about sex for him. He never went into any relationship thinking it would be more than that because then he would have to reveal himself. That was never what he wanted. When he first kissed her, he was just thinking about how much he wanted her. The first night they made love, he still tried to convince himself it was just about sex. She was a convenient diversion to a stressful situation. But after he made love to her, he couldn't take his eyes off of her – he watched her sleep all night.

He remembered the night she told him that she loved him. He couldn't remember the last time he heard those words. He didn't respond. He wasn't the type of person who was capable of love, especially of loving someone like her. 

But he knew after what happened with Ferrar that there was something more there. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to take care of her. It stopped being about sex. He knew she couldn't handle that. That is when he knew things were changing between them, and he was terrified. That is when he knew he had to put distance between them. Even before he met her, he knew he had to leave the DEA. He couldn't take it anymore. He spent years trying to change his life only to end up pretending to be a criminal. He wanted something more for himself. When he decided to go to New York, he knew she was devastated. But he thought it was for the best. It was easier to end things now, than watch her leave later.  

Jack's Office 

Martin rushed off the elevator and quickly entered Jack's office. Jack, Samantha and Vivian were talking. 

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have some new information. Where's Danny?" asked Martin.

Samantha replied, "In one of the conference rooms, I think."

"Would you mind getting him? He'll want to hear this."

"Sure." Samantha exited Jack's office to find Danny.

Martin pulled the pictures from his jacket pocket. "I found these in Agent Allen's hotel room."

Jack took the pictures. After scanning them and shaking his head, he gave them to Vivian.

Martin continued, "If the timeline is correct, then Allen took these a month ago. This is the last time Danny saw her."

Jack jumped in, "He lied to us. He told us that he thought she was in Chicago. He acted surprised when Danny mentioned she was with him."

Just as Jack was talking, Danny and Samantha walked in. Vivian hand the pictures to Danny. "Martin found these in Agent Allen's hotel room."

Danny looked at the pictures and remembered their last moments together a month ago. "This was the last time I saw her. Allen was there? That son of a bitch," Danny looked up.

Martin then said, "I think seeing this set Allen off."

Samantha asked, "What do you mean? He had to know Danny and Agent Riley had a history."

"Right, but he thought it was over. He thought that Agent Riley had moved on," replied Martin. 

"I think Martin is on the right track. According to Agent Riley's journals, she thought that Allen was jealous. He even made a pass at her at one point. Maybe in his head, he thought they were growing closer. Then he sees this, and he realizes he still doesn't have her," Vivian said as she pointed to the pictures.

Danny couldn't take his eyes off the pictures. He should have known better. He shouldn't have let her stay with him, and he certainly shouldn't have slept with her. Danny voiced his thoughts out loud without even thinking, "This is all my fault."

"Danny," Jack said, "Allen is obviously a sick bastard. He's got some sort of fixation on her."

"I told Allen that we would need to talk to him today. How do we want to handle this Jack?" Martin said trying to deflect the focus from Danny.

"Call him. Tell him we need to tie up some loose ends. We'll question him, and if he still lies to us, we'll drop the pictures on him."

Samantha then asked, "What's the theory? Do you think Escobar is still involved?"

"Possibly. Maybe Allen did find some way to tip him of her true identity. Samantha, you and Vivian comb the phone records again, talk to Sanchez, and follow-up with the crime scene team. See if they can give you more information on the blood from Escobar's place," ordered Jack.

"Martin, let me know when Allen gets here. You and I will interview him."

Danny then interjected, "Jack, I want to be there."

"No way. He won't talk with you there. Help Samantha and Viv with the phone records."

Danny tossed the pictures on Jack's desk and then stalked out of the office.

FBI Interview Room 

Jack address Agent Kevin Allen casually, "Thanks for coming in Kevin. We just need to finalize some information for our report."

"No problem," Agent Allen said looking at Martin and then Jack. "I'll help any way I can. Do you have any new information?"

"Not really. No," replied Martin. "We are waiting for more information from forensics."

Jack continued, "Kevin, we are a little perplexed as to how Escobar ID'd  Agent Riley. She was a seasoned undercover agent. She wouldn't have had anything on her to show she was DEA. Right?"

"Not that I can think of, no. But she was pretty tired. I mean she could have slipped."

"Agent Johnson reviewed several of Agent Riley's private journals. Did you know she kept a journal, Kevin?" asked Jack.

Kevin looked up nervously, "No. I wasn't aware of that."

"They were very helpful to us. Can you help us characterize your relationship with her for our report?"

"As I told Martin and Agent Spade, we worked together for a long time. We were very close."

Martin then asked, "Did you ever make a pass at her?"

"Where are you two going with this? I thought you had your case against Escobar?"

"We are just trying to find answers to some questions we still have. So did you ever try anything with her?" asked Jack. "She's a beautiful girl. You must have been tempted."

"No. I never did anything like that."

Martin then said, "That's not what she wrote. She wrote that you tried to kiss her. She also wrote that you made her uncomfortable. She even threatened to report you. Right?"

"She's a lying whore," Kevin replied without thinking.

"Why would she write that?" asked Jack. "It's awfully easy for you to call her a liar when she's not here to defend herself. Do you know where she is, Kevin?"

"What?" replied Kevin. "This is unacceptable. Escobar is the one you should be talking to. Maybe I should call Deputy Director Fitzgerald. You are wasting your time, if I am your suspect."

"I actually filled my father in, and he agreed you should answer our questions. Where is she, Kevin?" asked Martin as he got in Kevin's face.

Danny slipped away from Vivian and Samantha. He was watching from the two-way mirror. 

"I have no idea where she is. Are you forgetting that I reported her missing?"

Jack then asked, "Where did you say Annie went one month ago?"

"Chicago. She told me she went to Chicago."

"You thought she was in Chicago?" asked Jack with sarcasm.

"Right," replied Kevin.

Jack then took the pictures from the jacket pocket and tossed them in front of Kevin. "If you thought she was in Chicago then why did you follow her, and take these pictures."

Kevin looked at the pictures in shock, "Where did you get these?"

"Pretty intimate photos," remarked Martin. "Did it drive you crazy to see them together? Knowing she lied to you so she could be with Danny. Did you realize as you watched this that you would never have her?"

Danny watched the rising tension in the room. His heart was pounding.

Kevin looked down at the pictures. "It's my job to know where she is. She lied to me. I just wanted proof to catch her in the lie."

"Why? You don't own her Kevin, or maybe you think you do. Is that it?" asked Jack.

Kevin didn't answer.

"Tell us where she is Kevin? What happened to her? Did you tip Escobar, or did you do something to her yourself."

Kevin replied, "I don't know what you are talking about. I took those pictures, but I had nothing to do with her disappearance."

Danny couldn't take it anymore. He knew Kevin was lying. Danny quickly opened the door and stormed in the room. Kevin got up from his seat. Before Jack and Martin could react, Danny had Kevin pushed up against the wall.

"Where is she? What did you do to her, you sick son of a bitch?" yelled Danny.

Martin went to pull Danny off Kevin, but Danny shrugged him away. "Tell me where she is, Allen?" Danny started to reach for his gun.

Both Jack and Martin finally pulled Danny off Kevin. With Jack and Martin holding him back, Kevin addressed Danny.

"She's gone, Danny. Gone because of you. You couldn't leave her alone, could you? You were never good enough for her. You were just using her. I cared about her. I loved her. You just wanted a whore. You want to know what happened to her? When she got back from screwing you a month ago, Escobar could tell right away. So, he beat the hell out of her. She came to me bruised and bloody, and I took care of her. Don't you people get it? Escobar probably killed her in some jealous rage, because Annie was stupid enough to fall for someone like you," Kevin said while looking at Danny with defiance. 

Jack and Martin let go of Danny. Danny all of sudden felt sick to his stomach. It was his fault. He quickly left the room because he couldn't seem to breathe anymore.

Martin looked at Kevin, "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"I was just trying to protect her," replied Kevin.

Jack didn't buy it, but before he could ask more questions, Vivian came to the door. "Jack, I need to speak to you."

Jack left the room, and closed the door. "What do you have?"

"Forensics got back to us. The blood from the bed – where most of the blood was found – was old. It's been there for at least a month. The only fresh blood were the splatters in the bathroom."

"Escobar beat her up a month ago. That's where the blood on the bed came from," Jack said starting to put it together.

"So then what happened to her? We talked to Sanchez – he still says Escobar found something on Annie's person that tipped him."

"I think I know what happened," Jack said as he opened the door and returned to the interrogation room.


	8. Chapter 8

Outside the FBI office building

Danny had to get out of the building. He couldn't breathe in there anymore. He started to see awful images of Annie with Escobar. He was hitting her. She was crying out in pain. Danny raked his hands through hair as he mind was assaulted with the images. Why didn't she call him? He could have helped her. She didn't call him because he pushed her away. Even though they left each other on good terms a month ago, she still thought he didn't love her. He didn't give her any reason to think otherwise. 

"Hey," Martin said as he approached Danny.

Danny tried to shake the images from his head as he asked, "Did you let Allen go?"

"No. Jack wanted to question him one on one. I just thought I would see if you were OK."

"I'm great. Thanks for the concern," Danny replied sarcastically. Danny stood up and was about to go back to the office.

"Danny…I just wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Danny replied suspiciously.

"For standing up for Allen yesterday. When I questioned him, he attacked your character, and I shouldn't have listened. I should have seen that his hostility towards you was a clue to Annie's disappearance."

"Yeah, well, I had a lot of hostility towards him as well."

"And rightly so. I think this guy is just crazy jealous of you."

Danny nodded sadly, "It's not me, it's her. He's obsessed with Annie, and it cost Annie her life. He would have pulled her out if he hadn't seen us together. He kept her in there because he wanted to make her pay for getting involved with me again."

"We don't know she's gone, Danny. There is still hope. I think Jack has a theory. He'll get Allen to talk. So, are we OK?

Danny nodded again, "We're fine. You were just doing your job."

"Let's head back in, and see how Jack is doing."

Interrogation Room

Jack re-entered the interrogation room. Kevin was sitting down. Jack took a seat directly across from Kevin.

"Tell me exactly what happened when she came to you after Escobar beat her up," Jack order.

"She was upset, as you can imagine. He'd been violent with her before, but never like this. She said he just flipped out on her demanding to know where she'd been. She still didn't tell me about seeing Danny. But I knew that was what set Escobar off. He could tell she had been with someone else. If she would have been honest with me, maybe I could have done something."

Jack countered, "You see Kevin, that is what I don't understand. If one of my agents was assaulted like that, I wouldn't have hesitated to pull them out. How could you send her back in to that?"

"She wouldn't let me pull her out. She wanted to finish the job."

"I don't believe you. She was already having doubts. She wanted out. Then Escobar does God knows what to her, and she comes to you. I think she told you she wanted out. I think she told you she couldn't take it anymore. And then you panicked," Jack said angrily.

"Panicked? I don't know what you are talking about."

"You didn't want to let her go. You knew she would try to get as far away from you as possible. You made her skin crawl, Kevin. She hated you, and you couldn't stand that because you wanted to control her. That's why it drove you crazy to see her with Danny. She would never choose you over him."

Kevin was getting visibly angry. He put his head in his hands. "No. No. No. She loved me. She wanted to be with me. I just needed to make her see that he wasn't right for her. I needed her to realize how much she needed me. She belongs to me."

"How did you make her realize that, Kevin. Tell me what you did? We are going to find out eventually. I won't let you sleep until you tell me, you sick son of a bitch."

Kevin was practically crying, "I convinced her to stick it out with Escobar. I told her we could wrap up the case against him if we caught him making the deal with the Reyes syndicate. She agreed to give it two more weeks, so she went back to him."

Kevin continued, "When I met her in my car that last time, I could tell she couldn't stand to be near me. She was looking forward to the deal being done. I knew she would go crawling back to Danny once she was finished, and I would never see her again."

"What did you do?" asked Jack.

"I slipped her DEA ID in her purse. She told me once that she caught Escobar looking through her things when she returned from one of our meetings. I knew he would find it."

Jack looked down, "So he found it, and killed her. If you couldn't control her…if you couldn't have her, then no one could. Do you know what he did with the body."

Kevin hesitated, and finally said, "He tried to kill her. When he confronted her with the badge, he hit her and tried to strangle her. She was able to fight him off, and got out of the house. And then, she called me to tell me her cover was blown. She didn't realize it was me who did it. She thought she slipped up."

"I told her to meet me at a motel outside of the city. We had to take her into protective custody."

Danny, Martin and Samantha were standing outside the interrogation room.

"Do we have Allen's credit card records?" asked Danny.

Samantha replied, "Yeah, I pulled them yesterday. I'll go look at them to see if he charged the motel." 

Danny nodded without taking his eyes off Kevin, "Thanks."

Kevin continued inside the interrogation room, "When she got there, she was very upset. Very shaky. I went out of the room to get her something to drink, when I got back she was on the phone. I knew who she was calling. So, I grabbed the phone out of her hand."

"She was calling Danny," stated Jack. 

"I couldn't let her do that. She was startled, and I wanted to calm her down. So I just tried to hold her, you know. And she pushed me away. I tried to tell her that I would take care of her. That I was all she needed."

Jack could tell that Kevin was losing it. So he kept pressing, "Did you kill her?"

Kevin started sobbing.

As Danny watched, his heart sank.

Kevin looked up at Jack. "I tried," Kevin whispered. "At first, I tried to make her mine, to make her love me, but she kept fighting me. So I took my gun out, and put it to her head."

Martin watched Danny closely. Ready to stop him if he tried to storm in to the room again. This time Martin was certain Danny would kill him.

Kevin continued, "She started crying and begging me not to kill her."

"What did you do, Kevin?" Jack asked calmly.

As Kevin sobbed and searched for his next words, Vivian and Samantha came back with new information. Vivian addressed Danny and Martin. "I think we found her. Kevin checked into the Shady Tree motel about 30 minutes from here. The motel clerk says that a woman met him at the motel. He saw Kevin leave but never saw the woman leave. Kevin still hasn't checked out of the motel. He called the clerk yesterday, and asked to charge his credit card for one more week. The charges didn't appear on his account until after we ran the report yesterday."

Danny and Martin didn't hesitate. They rushed out with Samantha to check out the motel. Vivian stayed behind to fill in Jack.


	9. Chapter 9

_(Last chapter. Thanks for all the great reviews and feedback.)_

Shady Tree Motel

Danny, Martin and Samantha arrived in record time at the motel. They went to the clerk to find out the room number. The clerk willingly gave them the key after Martin flashed his badge. Danny grabbed the key and ran to the room. Martin and Samantha both followed. Danny opened the door and entered the room. 

"Annie. Annie," Danny called out. He didn't see her in the room. 

He walked back towards the bathroom, and opened the closet door. He found her. She was tied up on the floor of the closet. Her hands and feet were bound with electrical cords, and there was tape on her mouth. Danny bent to see if she was alive. Her naked body seemed lifeless, but he found a pulse. "Call an ambulance. She's still alive," Danny called out to Martin and Samantha.

Danny took off his FBI jacket and covered her body. He then gently removed the tape from her mouth. As he removed the tape, Annie jumped and recoiled in fear. She thought that Allen was back. Danny talked to her in a soothing voice, "Annie, it's me. It's Danny. No one's going to hurt you." He stroked her hair, as tears ran down her face. 

Danny then cut the cords on her hands and feet. They were bloody from the tightness of the cords. As soon as he got her hands free, Annie threw her arms around him. Danny held her tightly as she cried. "It's OK, baby. I'm here. It's OK."

Martin and Samantha left the motel room to give them some privacy. Then the ambulance arrived. Danny stayed with her in the ambulance, and held her hand. But, she didn't say a word to him. She was in shock. 

At the hospital, she was taken into an examination room. She didn't want to let go of Danny's hand. "I'll be right outside. I'm not going anywhere," Danny said as he looked into her terrified eyes. She finally let go, and he walked out meeting Martin and Samantha.

Danny sat down in one of the chairs and exhaled. Samantha sat down beside him and put her hand on his back. "How is she doing?"

"I don't know. She didn't say anything. He had her tied up like an animal. What was he going to do? Keep her there forever."

Martin replied, "Jack called us from the office. Allen completely shut down after we left. Jack thinks he was going to wait until we pinned it on Escobar, and gave up the search. Then he would have killed her or . . ."

"Or kept her alive to play some sick game," Danny said.

"We found her. You got her back, Danny," Samantha said.

"Thank you. Thank you both for being so great through all of this."

"It is our job, you know," remarked Martin.

"Right," Danny smiled for the first time in two days.

They sat there in silence in the hallway until the doctor came out about a half hour later. "Are you here for Annie Riley?"

"Yes," Danny replied. "Is she OK?"

"Is her family here?"

"No. They are on their way. But they are coming from Chicago. Please tell me if she is OK," Danny asked with urgency.

"She's been through a great deal. She's been repeatedly beaten and sexually assaulted. We've given her a sedative to try and calm her down. She'll have a long road of recovery, but in time, she'll be OK."

"Can I see her?" asked Danny.

"She's sleeping."

"I know. I'll just sit with her."

"Of course."

Danny walked in the room and sat in the chair next to her bed. He took her hand, and watched her. He face and neck were badly bruised, as were her arms. Danny watched her for what seemed liked hours. He finally laid his head down on the bed and fell asleep while still holding her hand.

Annie woke up and looked over at Danny. He looked peaceful. When she saw him in the motel room, she knew everything would be OK. While she was trapped in the room, she had to stop herself from thinking of Danny. When she thought of him, all she could think of was how she'd never see him again. She felt safe with him by her side now, but part of her was still scared. How could she let all this happen to her? Why did she let Allen manipulate her? How could she face Danny now after all that has happened? She knew he was just here for her now out of some sense of obligation. 

As Annie was mentally berating herself for poor decision-making, Danny woke up. Annie's heart raced as he looked at her with his dark, sympathetic, sleepy eyes.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Danny asked as enveloped her hand in both of his hands.

"I'm OK."

"Allen's been arrested. So has Escobar."

"Good," Annie wasn't sure what to say. She felt like she was on the verge of falling a part.

"I didn't think I would ever see you again."

"How did you find me?"

"I didn't. The team I work with – they did most of the work. Allen followed you to my place a month ago. I guess that set him off. He planted the ID in your purse."

"What?" Annie asked surprised.

"He's obsessed with you, or something….he's sick."

"He was going to kill me. I begged him not to. I told him I'd do anything. So I let him…" Annie started crying.

"Don't. You don't have to talk about it now." Danny kissed her hand. "The important thing is that it is all over now."

"When he put the gun to my head all I could think of was not seeing you again," Annie said with hesitation. She wasn't sure why she said it. 

Danny touched her face, and let his fingers linger in her hair. "I've been crazy the last two days…terrified I'd never see you again. I …I love you, Annie. I hate myself for not saying it a month ago, two years ago, six years ago. I should have said a long time ago. This -- all that has happened to you -- it's my fault, baby. If I just would have brought you to New York with me…"

"Danny, don't. We both made choices. I didn't have to stay undercover. I don't know what I was trying to prove. I let this happen…"

"Don't say that," Danny said as tears stung eyes. 

The nurse came and interrupted, "She really needs to get her rest. It's the only way she will heal."

"Right," Danny said. He stood up, but Annie grabbed his hand. 

"Your not leaving…are you?"

"No. Of course not. I'm never leaving you again," Danny smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'll just be outside for a few minutes, OK? You need to get some sleep."

"OK." Annie said as she closed her eyes.

Danny walked out of them room, and sat down. Jack saw Danny, and sat down by him.

"How's she doing?" asked Jack.

"I think she'll be OK. I'd like to take some time off to be here for her, if that's OK."

"Take as much time as you need."

"You know I've spent my whole life trying to convince myself I didn't need anyone. The only person I needed to depend on was myself. How self-centered is that?" asked Danny.

"We just do what we need to do to survive…to get through."

"It almost cost Annie her life. I couldn't completely be with her, but then I couldn't let her go either."

"Well now you have a second chance. You probably haven't had many of those in your life. Don't screw it up."

Danny smiled, "Thanks."

"I'll see you in couple of weeks," Jack said as he got up and walked away.

Danny walked back in the Annie's room, and took her hand again. He whispered, "I love you," to her as he laid his head down and fell asleep.


End file.
